Continuous piece goods processing machine



Feb. 20, 1945. W.-M. EN-r2 V CONTINUOUS PIECE GOODS PROCESSING MACHINE sSheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 17, 1942 l r n eatz 'IN EN R ATTORNEY Feb. 20,1945. I w, w 1 z 2 ,369,696

CONTINUOUS YIECE GOODS PROCESSING MACHINE Filed June 17, 19423'Sheets-Sheet 2 L mlliqql M natz INVENTOR I BYM; I

ATTORNEY Feb. 20, 1945. V w. M. WE'NTZ 2,369,696 CONTINUOUS PIECE GOODSPROCESSING MACHINE Filed June 17, 1942 3 Sheets-Shet 5 INVENTOR ATTORNEYPatented Feb. 20, 1945 U ITED STAT-E S PATENT OFFICE CONTINUOUS PIECEGOODS PROCESSING MACHINE William M. Wentz, Carneys' Point, N. J.,assignor to E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Wilmington,.Del.,.acorporation of Delaware '3 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine m processing piece 'goods whereinthe goods may be subjected to treatment in a liquid treating bath in acontinuous manner for an extended period of time. r

In the dyeing, finishing and other processing of textile fabrics in thepiece by the continuous methods in which the goods must be subjectedattendant loss of dissolved chemicals, for the solutions are oftenunstable and even when stable the storage of large volumesgf suchliquids isimpracticable.

It is therefore an object of" this invention to provide a fabrictreating apparatus for treating cloth in thecontinuous piece and in acontinuous to the treating bath for an extended period of time ithasbeen the practice to pass the piece goods over and under numerousrollers so that it passes horizontally or vertically back and forththrough the solution until treatment is completed. Ordinarilythesemachines are-run at a speed whereby the cloth passes over the rolls atfrom to 120 yards per minute. Where, only a short contact with thesolution is necessary no particular'problem is involved in the use ofthis type of apparatus, but where the fiber is to to be treated for an"extended period of time and the same speed of production must bemaintained. an extraordinarily large treating bath or a number of suchtreating baths must be employed to permit the goods to remain in thesolution for the required time. 'In many cases the passing of piecegoods over and under numerous rolls presents difliculties because of thetension under whichthe goods must be put to move it along.

To avoid the tension on the goods that is attendant in the conventionalapparatus, methods have been devised to drive a larger number of themanner for an extended period of time, which is compact, simple inoperation and in which the fabric is not subjected to undue tensionwhile being treated A further object of the invention is to provide acontinuous piecegoods dyeing and treating machine which requires aminimum volume of treating liquor per unit of goods under treatmentwhereby in processes in which an equilibrium must be established betweenthe treating solution and the material, before uniformity of treatmentis finally attained, the time required to,establish this equilibrium isreduced to a minimum.

A further object of the invention is to provide a continuous piece goodsdyeing and treating machine in which-the'time of treatment of the goodspassing there-through can be increased without altering the speed of themachine or the volumeof-the treating bath.

rolls over which the goods pass, or to employ nip or squeeze rollsspacedat more frequent intervals to pull the cloth along and to squeeze outexcess liquor where desired. However, due to shrinking and stretching ofgoods when wetted,

these methods are not entirely satisfactory, ex=-. cept wherecomplicated e'lectricalcontrols and compensators are employed and suchcontrols add greatly to the cost of the equipment. Furthermore, intreating pile fabrics, the use of numerous squeeze rolls is-to beavoided because of the tendency of such rolls to impart a permanentmatting to the pile.

In the conventional continuous piece goods dyeing machines, where thefabric is to be maintained in contact with the solutions for extendedperiods of'time, large volumes of the treatin liquor are required toaccommodate the amount of goods that must be under treatment at any onetime because of the bulky manner required for manipulating-the goodsinthe baths. -The amounts of chemicals and dyes employed in the fibertreating solutions is of course proportional to the amount of solutionused and at the end In the attached drawings which form a part of thisapplication,

Fig. l is an isometric view, partially in section,

of a preferred form of fiber treating apparatus:

illustrating the invention. 1

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view, partly in section showing the machineof Fig. 1 as a multiple unit with modified take-off mechanism Fig. 3 isa fragmentary isometric section showing a modified arrangement of themachines in tandem carrying the cloth directly from one Fig. 5 is adiagrammatic view of a modified form of the apparatus illustrating theaddition of a further'treating bath throughwhich the cloth maybe run.

' Fig. 6 is a diagrammatical detail view illustrating a method of takingoil the fabric in the when the inside of the machine, and

. Figsfl? and 8 are sectional views illustrating modified forms of thecloth carrying reels.

In the accompanying drawings inwhich like reference numerals refer tocorrespond n parts in the several views, numeral l designates-a tankorvat adapted to hold the liquid with which the cloth is to be treated.In this tank is mounted for rotation a cloth carrying reel 2 made upwith side plates 3 attached to a cylindrical center por-. tion 4 withconnecting rods 5 spaced away from the cylindrical center 4, the reelbeing of a length to accommodate the maximum width of cloth for whichthe machine is constructed.

Mounted above the reel 2 on a frame .II! is a second reel II of similarconstruction to that or reel 2. The reels 2 and I I are mounted inalignment so that the cloth, in a continuous piece,

may be wrapped around the reels in the open width or in a folded stripin such a manner that the inner wrap is removed from the reels at thesame rate of speed as the cloth is fed onto the reels as the outer wrap.The reel 2 is mounted at any desired depth within the tank I so. the"solution may completely cover the reel or any portion thereof, wherebythe cloth as it passes about the reels 2 and I i is treated for thedesired length of time, the time of treatment being de pendent upon thenumber of wraps oi cloth'about the reels and the speed at which themachine is operated. r

As illustrated in Figure 1 the cloth C i led into the machine in theopen width or in a folded strip-over the roller I5 and down into thetreating liquor under the roll I6, to give the goods a preliminarywetting then passed between the nip or squeeze rolls I1 and I8 which mayalso constitute the impelling force for moving the strip of; cloth intothe machine. The cloth is then passed under a rollv 20 to give it afurther wetting, then over the roll 2I and about the reel 2 as the outerwrap. It is then led over the reel I I andback around the reels 2 and IIin a multiple of wraps,

through thesecond machine in the same manner illustrated 'in F18. l. 1

Variable speed transmissions of conventional types may be employed indriving the squeeze rolls I|--l8, 21-2. and 25-48 if desired, to permitadjustment for any variation in the feeding of the cloth in the'machine,such as may be caused by shrinkage or stretching of the goods whenwetted by the treating solutions. The reel 2 which operates in the vat Iis preferably a closed cylinder about which the rods 5, secured in theflanges 3 are spaced suiliciently far from the cylinder portion 4 topermit adequate access of the treating liquor to the inside as. well asthe outside layer of the cloth that passes about this reel. By using aclosed cylinder type or reel as illustrated, the

volume of treating solution in the bath may be kept at a minimum. It isto be understood that in the accompanying drawings the feed rolls, floatrolls, reels, etc., are arranged further apart than will be necessary inorder that the invention may be properly illustrated in the drawings.The more compact the arrangement of rolls and reels within the vat, I,the smaller will be the amount of treating solution required toetfectively treat any given amount of cloth that is constantly P ssingthrough the machine. Where tandem machines the number being dependentupon the time required to complete the treatment 01' the goods in thetreating bath. The goods is then led out over roll 25 and under thefloat roll 26 through the nip or squeeze rolls 21 and'28, then out fromthe side of the machine over the guiddlfl. As illustrated in Fig. 1, thegoods may then be carried around the rolls 32 and 23 over a second 45guide- 34 and through thetake-ofi rolls 35, 28. The cloth may then bebatched or led into another ma-v chine arranged in a line with themachine illustrated.

' Y'I'he feed rolls l'i-I8, 21 -28 and take-oi! rolls "35-36 are alldriven from any source or power such as through chain 38 on shaft 39 byconven: tional driving means or by sprockets and chains as'illustratedin the drawings. The reels 2 and II may also be driven or they mayrotate freely with th cloth as'it passes thereabout, the cloth beingmoved through the machineentirely by the nip i or squeeze rolls.

As illustrated in Fig. 2 the machines maybe arranged in tandem, and thecloth may be carried .from the machines in. rope form through thepoteyes and over the take-oil reels II. The. goods 1 taken from th'ereels may be further treated in a rope form or 'passedthroughscutchersor other-conventional opening devices after whichit mayagain be treatedin the open width or sub- .iected to theusual'flnishingoperations in any desired type of apparatus.

Fig. 3 illustrates the arrangement of two or more machines whereby thecloth is taken directly, from one machine'and passed into the secondbath for treatment without undue exposure to air. By ihnnsips'the clothfrom the 45 guide at, directly to a sbriddfiguidefilin the secondmachine,

then under the roll GI-wdrom where it passes,

arearranged in line, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the squeeze rolls usedfor feeding the cloth in and taking the cloth from the -machines may be,

due to the gradual increase in the eifective diameter of the reels,particularly where heavy goods are being treated, there tends to be anincrease in the amount of goods taken onto the outer wrap, as comparedwith the amount oi. goods delivered from the inside wrap! about thereels. This difierence in amount of goods is compensated for by theconstruction of the reels 2 and II. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 therods which are spaced about the central portion of the reel and whichcarry the goods to be treated permits the goods to be carried about thereels in a loose form as more particularly illustrated in Figs. 4.5 and6. The modified forms of reels may of course be employed to accomplishthe. same results as more particularly illustrated in Figures 7 and 8.When an ordinary cylinder is employed, in place of the reels of thetypes illustrated, it has been found that after a number of yards ofgoods have been passed through the machine, the goods begin to collectand drop down below the reel 2, especially where heavy goods is beingtreated or where a large number or wraps are madewbout the two reels.13y the use of the rods 3 or the corrugated surfaces 15 and II (asillustrated in Figs. 7 and 8), this diiflculty has been overcome, forthe same amount of goods that is fed onto the reels as the outer-wrap iscarried. evenly there-about and taken oi! from the inside at the samerate. It has. been found that several thousand yards of goods may bepassed-throushthe type of machine is to be run before it is undulyexpcsedto the air. I Inthis view clothis taken-oi! from one .0! thelower reels andm'ubiected to a further treatment in a bath by itthroushsqueeze rolls 2,309,606 and over the guide rolls a: and as. Where this.

treatment is a water wash, the water may be sprayed from pipes 90 ontothe goods as it passes upward to the squeeze rolls 9|.

As illustrated in Fig. 6 the goods may be taken of! through the squeezerolls 21-28 and batched on a conventional drum winder till-6|. As'furbepositioned vertically above the lower reel 2, the arrangement of thesetwo reels being in any desired manner that may be required to get theminto the space available for the construction of the machine.Furthermore,'where the reels carry the cloth on an incline, as in Fig.6, the looser inner wraps are carried from reel 2 to reel H onthe outerwraps, when the movement of the cloth is clockwise as illustrated.

With the apparatus of this invention, as illustrated in the attacheddrawings, piece goods may be treated in a treating bath in a continuousmanner for extended periods of time, the'length ther illustrated in Fig.6 the top reel ll need not of time being dependent upon the number ofwraps about the reels 2 and H and the speed at which the machine isoperated. The greater the number of wraps about the reels 2 and H thelonger will be the time of treatment of the fiber in the treatingsolution fcr'any given speed of operation of the machine; With lightfabrics a large number of wraps may be made about the reels withoutundue drag or tension, particularly where both upper and lower reels aredriven,

making the machine particularly suitable for the treating of thin,easily distortedfabrlcs. with 4 heavier fabrics the number-of wrapsabout the two reels will necessarily be less.

With 8 ounce duck it has been found that 24 wraps about the reels, whichwas the -number required for the particular operationto give thenecessary time of treatment at the speed of operation of the machine,operated very successfully. Where a longer treatment is desired withoutan increase in the speed of the machine a greater number of wraps may ofcourse be employed, while for a shorter period of treatment the numberof wraps may be reduced.

With this apparatus the cloth may be treated in the continuous piece ina single relatively small fiber treatingbath thereby keeping at aminimum the amount of solution required for any particular amount ofcloth to be treated. This is of particular importance in treating relaordrying the chemicals with whic tively short runs of from one thousand toseveral thousand yards of cloth. This small volume is also ofparticularimportance in dyeing processes such as in the developmentof'vat dyes, where it is essential that equilibrium between the paddedgoods and the development bath be attained inthe shortest possible'time,as more particularly described in my U. S. Patent 2,318,133 which.

issued May 4, 1943. In the developmentof vat dye'sfwhere the goods mustbe maintained, in

'contactwith the developing solution for an extended period of time, themachine as above described ofiers the particular advantage that acomparatively small volume of treating solution is required andthe'cloth which first enters the bath is continuously treated in thatsame bath for the full period of time required to establish theequilibrium.

Although in the apparatus illustrated in the drawir s the goods wrappedabout the reels 2 and II isimmersed in the treating bath for only apartof the time ,dur ing its rotation, it has been found that, even with vatdyestufiswhereoxidation of the color in the {solution and prematureployed in all processes having to do with the treating of textilefibersin the continuous piece either in the open width or in a folded form,such as in the dyeing, bleaching, scouring, impregnating, developinfinishing, etc.

The apparatus of this invention, as more particularly illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, may also be employed'in the aging, steamlng,baking or'other treatment 'of goods in the continuous piece even where aliquid treating bath is not required, by enclosing the mechanism in asteam tight chamber or box, whereby heat, steam or acid vapors may beintroduced in the conventional manner,

Due to the continuous removal of the,.inner wrap of goods from thereels, this apparatus is particularly suitable for subjecting gods whileit is passing about the reels to the action of infra red rays where suchtreatment is desir d in baking the fabric is treated.

Where the time required for thetreatment of the goods in the apparatusis not unduly long the output of the machine maybe materially increasedby leading a plurality of pieces of goods into the machine at the sametime to form several wraps about the reels and taking them off togetheras a layer or separately, as the situation.

demands. This apparatus is suitable for the application of all types ofdyes such as vats, direct, acid and the various types of azo dyestuffsincluding those in which the dye is formed on the fiber by treating thepreviousl impregnated fabric with a coupling component in solution. Alltypes of fabrics may be treated with this apparatus including thosewhich are adversely affected by tension, since there is a, minimumamount of tension applied to the goods during its passage through themachine.

Iclaim: 1. In a continuous piece goods dyeing and treating apparatus, abath adapted to hold the solution with which the goods-are to be dyed ortreated, a reel mounted to rotate in the bath with the lower portionbelow the surface of the treatlng solution, a second reel spaced fromand mounted in cooperative relationship with the first reel about whichthe piece goods in open width may be 'wound in a plurality of wrapsabout itself on the reels to permit prolonged treatment of the goods inthe bath while it is-continuously fed onto and taken all from saidreels, said reels being of a diameter substantially greater than the ag-'gregate thickness of said wraps, said reels being provided withalternatively arranged raised portions and depressions extending-,axially the effective length of the reels into which depressions theloose folds of goods on the inner wraps may be carried, said raisedportionsbeing spaced apart a distance suflicient to receive and carry inthe intervening depressions the loose folds of the inner wraps, meansfor feeding the goods onto and, for taking it from said reels;

2. In a continuous piece goods dyeing and 3. In a continuous piece'goodstreating appatreating apparatus, a bath adapted to hold the ratus, afirst reel and a second reel spaced theresolution with which the goodsare to be dyed from and mounted in cooperative relationship or treated,a reel mounted to rotate in the bath with the first reel about which tworeels the piece with'the lower portion below the surface of the goods inopen width may be wound in a plurality treating solution; a second reelspaced froin and of wraps about itself: to permit prolonged treatmouutedin cooperative relationship with the first ment of the goods in the.treating apparatus while reel about which the piece goods in open widththe said goods is fed continuously onto and taken may be wound in aplurality of wraps about itself from said reels, said reels being of adiameter subon the reels to permit prolonged treatment of the 10stantially greater. than the aggregate thickness of goods in the bathwhile it is continuously fed onto said wraps, means associated with saidreels proand taken 01! from said reels, said reels being or a vided withalternatively arranged raised portions diameter substantially greaterthan the aggregate and depressions extending axially the efiectlvethickness s eals wraps, means associated with I length of the reels intowhich depressions the said reels provided with alternatively arrangedloose folds of goods on the inner wraps may be raised portions anddepressions extending axiallycarried, said raised portions being spacedapart a the eflective length of the reels into which dedistancesuflicient to receive and carry in the pressions the loose folds ofgoods on the inner intervening depressions the loose folds of the wrapsmay be carried, said raised portions being inner wraps, means forfeeding thegoods onto spaced apart a distance suihcient to receive and gand for taking it from said reels.

carry in the intervening depressions the loose folds of the inner wraps,means for feeding the I WILLIAM M. WENT-Z. goods onto and for taking itfrom said reels. 7

